individualism

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French individualisme; synchronically, individual +‎ -ism.

Noun

individualism (countable and uncountable, plural individualisms)

The tendency for a person to act without reference to others, particularly in matters of style, fashion or mode of thought.
The moral stance, political philosophy, or social outlook that promotes independence and self-reliance of individual people, while opposing the interference with each person's choices by society, the state, or any other group or institution.
- 1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., page 165:
  [A]nd that one great and all-important occasion and provocative of these beliefs was actually the rise of self-consciousness — that is, the coming of the mind to a more or less distinct awareness of itself and of its own operation, and the consequent development and growth of Individualism, and of the Self-centred attitude in human thought and action.
(logic) The doctrine that only individual things are real.
(philosophy) The doctrine that nothing exists but the individual self.

Synonyms

(philosophy): solipsism

Antonyms

(acting without reference to others): collectivism, statism

Derived terms

rugged individualism

Translations

tendency for a person to act without reference to others

Catalan: individualisme m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 個人主義／个人主义 (zh) (gèrénzhǔyì)
Czech: individualismus m
Esperanto: unuopulismo
French: individualisme (fr) m
Galician: individualismo (gl) m
Georgian: ინდივიდუალიზმი (individualizmi)
German: Individualismus (de) m
Indonesian: individualisme (id)
Italian: individualismo (it) m
Japanese: 個人主義 (こじんしゅぎ, kojinshugi)
Korean: 개인주의 (ko) (gaeinjuui)
Polish: indywidualizm (pl) m
Portuguese: individualismo m
Romanian: individualism (ro) n
Russian: индивидуали́зм (ru) m (individualízm)
Serbo-Croatian: individualizam (sh) m, индивидуализам m
Spanish: individualismo m
Tagalog: pagkamakasarili
Ukrainian: індивідуалізм m (indyvidualizm)

moral stance

Afrikaans: individualisme
Albanian: andividualizmi m
Arabic: فردانية‎ (firdanya)
Armenian: ինդիվիդուալիզմ (hy) (individualizm)
Asturian: individualismu m
Basque: indibidualismo
Belarusian: індывідуалізм m (indyvidualizm)
Bulgarian: индивидуализъм m (individualizǎm)
Catalan: individualisme m
Chinese:
Cantonese: 個人主義 (go³ jan⁴ zyu² ji⁶)
Mandarin: 個人主義／个人主义 (zh) (gèrénzhǔyì)
Min Nan: 個人主義 (kò-jîn-chú-gī)
Czech: individualismus m
Danish: individualisme c
Dutch: individualisme (nl) n
Esperanto: individuismo
Finnish: individualismi (fi)
French: individualisme (fr) m
Galician: individualismo (gl) m
Georgian: ინდივიდუალიზმი (individualizmi)
German: Individualismus (de) m
Greek: ατομοκρατία (el) f (atomokratía), ατομικισμός (el) m (atomikismós)
Hebrew: אִינְדִּיבִידוּאָלִיזְם‎ m
Hindi: व्यक्तिवाद (vyaktivād)
Hungarian: individualizmus (hu)
Icelandic: einstaklingshyggja (is) f
Ido: individualismo (io)
Indonesian: individualisme (id)
Irish: indibhidiúlachas m
Italian: individualismo (it) m
Japanese: 個人主義 (こじんしゅぎ, kojinshugi)
Kannada: ಪ್ರತ್ಯೇಕತಾವಾದ (kn) (pratyēkatāvāda)
Kazakh: индивидуализм (individualizm)
Korean: 개인주의 (ko) (gaeinjuui)
Kurdish:
Northern Kurdish: îndîvîdualîzm (ku) m
Kyrgyz: индивидуализм (ky) (individualizm)
Latvian: individuālisms m
Lithuanian: individualizmas (lt) m
Lombard: individualism m
Macedonian: индивидуализам m (individualizam)
Malagasy: fiolonoloanana
Malay: individualisme
Maori: angatakitahitanga
Marathi: व्‍यक्तिवाद (v‍yaktivād)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: individualisme m
Nynorsk: individualisme m
Occitan: individualisme m
Pashto: ځانگړواله‎ (ps)
Persian: فردگرایی‎ (fa)
Polish: indywidualizm (pl) m
Portuguese: individualismo m
Romanian: individualism (ro) n
Russian: индивидуали́зм (ru) m (individualízm)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: индивидуалѝзам m
Roman: individualìzam (sh) m
Slovak: individualizmus m
Slovene: individualizem m
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: indiwidualizm m
Upper Sorbian: indiwidualizm m
Spanish: individualismo m
Swahili: ubinafsi
Swedish: individualism (sv) c
Tagalog: pagkamakasarili, indibidwalismo
Tamil: தனிமனிதத்துவம் (taṉimaṉitattuvam)
Tatar: индивидуальлек (indiwidual’lek)
Telugu: వ్యక్తివాదం (vyaktivādaṁ)
Thai: ปัจเจกนิยม (th) (bpàt-jàyk ní-yom)
Turkish: bireycilik (tr)
Turkmen: indiwidualizm
Ukrainian: індивідуалі́зм m (indyvidualízm)
Uzbek:
Cyrillic: индивидуализм (uz) (individualizm)
Roman: individualizm (uz)
Vietnamese: chủ nghĩa cá nhân, cá nhân chủ nghĩa, chủ nghĩa cá thể
Welsh: unigolyddiaeth f

References

OED2

Romanian

Etymology

From French individualisme.

Noun

individualism n (uncountable)

individualism

Declension

declension of individualism (singular only)

	singular
n gender	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) individualism	individualismul
genitive/dative	(unui) individualism	individualismului
vocative	individualismule

Swedish

Noun

individualism c (uncountable)

individualism

Declension

Declension of individualism
	Uncountable
	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	individualism	individualismen	—	—
Genitive	individualisms	individualismens	—	—

Antonyms

kollektivism

Related terms

individ
individualist
individualistisk
individuell